Wick-type liquid retaining and dispensing unit



H. KESKITALO June 14, 1955 WICK-TYPE LIQUID RETAINING AND DISPENSINGUNIT Filed Sept. 22. 1951 INVENTOR. fi s/[25b United States Patent 0WICK-TYPE LIQUID RETAINING AND DISPENSING UNIT Helen Keskitalo,Republic, Mich.

Application September 22, 1951, Serial No. 247,883

1 Claim. (Cl. 222-187) The present invention relates generally to liquidretaining and dispensing units. More particularly the invention relatesto that type of unit which is adapted primarily to retain and dispenseliquid and as its components or parts comprises: (1) a cup-shapedcontainer which is adapted to be partially filled with the liquid andconsists of a bottom wall and an upstanding side wall with an externalscrew thread at its upper end; (2) a member which is disposed within theupper portion of the container interior, forms a compartment and has atthe upper portion thereof an outwardly extending fiange that rests onthe upper edge of the container side wall; (3) a wick which extendsdownwards from the lower portion of the member into the liquid andserves by capillary action to supply the liquid into the compartment inthe member so that it may be absorbed by a pad-like applicator as apreliminary to use of the applicator; and (4) a screw cap which embodiesa depending annular skirt with an internal screw thread for connectionto the external screw thread at the upper end of the container side walland is adapted when in place to clamp the flange of the member againstthe upper edge of the side wall of the container.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a liquid retainingand dispensing unit which is an improvement upon, and has certainadvantages over, previously designed units including that forming thesubject matter of United States Letters Patent No. 2,554,302, granted tome on May 22, 1951, and is characterized by low cost of manufacture anda novel arrangement of parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a liquid retaining anddispensing unit of the aforementioned type in which the compartmentforming member in the upper portion of the cup-shaped container isU-shaped and opensided, and the wick is in the form of an inverted L andconsists of a horizontal part which extends transversely across, and ispermanently attached to, the bottom wall of the U-shaped member, and adepending vertically extending part which is connected to one end of thehorizontally extending part and extends downwards through a singlelongitudinally extending slot in the adjacent side margin of said bottomwall of the U-shaped member.

A further object of the invention is to provide a liquid retaining anddispensing unit which is generally of new and improved construction.

Other objects of the invention and the various advantages andcharacteristics of the present liquid retaining and dispensing unit willbe apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features which arehereinafter set forth and are more particularly defined by the claim atthe conclusion hereof.

In the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this specificationor disclosure and in which like numerals of reference denotecorresponding parts throughout the several views:

standing side walls 13.

2,710,708 Patented June 14, 1955 Figure l is a vertical section of aliquid retaining and dispensing unit embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view showing the unit without its p;

Figure 3 is a side view of the assembly of open sided U-shapedcompartment forming member and inverted L- shaped wick;

Figure 4 is a perspective of the assembly illustrating in detail theconstruction, arrangement and manner of mounting of the invertedL-shaped wick; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the screw cap.

The unit which is shown in the drawing constitutes the preferred form orembodiment of the invention. It is designed primarily to retain anddispense a liquid and comprises a cup-shaped container, a U-shapedmember 6, and inverted L-shaped wick 7, and a screw cap 8.

The container is adapted to be partially filled with the liquid to bedispensed and consists of a fiat circular bottom wall 9 and acylindrical upstanding side wall 10. These two walls are preferablyformed of transparent plastic or other material in order that the amountof liquid in the container may be readily determined. The cylindricalside wall 10 is connected to, and extends upwards from, the bottom wall9 and embodies an external screw thread 11 at its upper end. It iscontemplated that during normal use of the unit the container will befilled to no more than two-thirds full capacity.

The U-shaped member 6 is preferably in the form of a one-piece sheetmetal stamping and consists of a fiat horizontally extending bottom wall12 and a pair of up- It is located in the upper portion of the interiorof the container 5 and forms an open sided compartment. The bottom wall12 of the member 6 is imperforate except for a single longitudinallyextending slot 12 in one of its side margins and has straight parallelside edges which are in spaced relation with the adjacent portions ofthe container side wall 10 in order to provide side openings whereby theliquid to be dispensed may be poured into or out of the container.

The side walls 13 of the U-shaped member 6 are connected to, and extendupwards from, the ends of the bottom wall 12 and are curved or arcuatein cross section. They are provided at the upper ends thereof withintegral arcuate outwardly extending flanges 14 and are shaped andarranged so as to fit snugly in the upper portion of the container sidewall 10. The arcuate flanges 14 extend at right angles to the side walls13 of the member 6 and when the member is in place rest on diametricallyopposite portions of the upper edge of the side wall 10 of thecontainer. If desired, the flanges may be cemented in place in orderthat the U-shaped member 6 is in fixed relation with the container.

The inverted L-shaped wick 7 is formed of felt or other suitableabsorbent material and consists of a horizontal part 15 and a dependingvertical part 16. The horizontal part 15 rests flatly on, and extendstransversely across, the bottom wall 12 of the open-sided U-shapedmember 6. The depending vertical part 16 of the wick 7 has the upper endthereof connected to one end of the horizontal part 15 and is of suchlength that its lower end terminates directly above the circular bottomwall 9 of the container 5. As shown in the drawing, the upper end of thevertical part of the wick extends through, and is shaped conformably to,the slot 12 in the bottom wall 12 of the U-shaped member 6. The lowerend portion of the wick part 16 is immersed in the liquid in thecontainer interior and serves by capillary action to supply the liquidto the horizontal Wick part 15 in order that the latter is saturatedwith liquid and, hence, is capable of transferring the liquid to anapplicator. The free end of the hori zontal part 15 of the wick ispermanently secured in place by way of a pair of staples 18 which extendthrough said free end of the horizontal part and also the subjacentparts of the bottom wall 12 of the U-shaped member 6.

- The screw cap 8 of the unit constitutes a removable closure for thecontainer. It is preferably of one-piece construction, and consists ofan imperforate circular top wall 19 and a depending annular skirt 20.The latter is shaped conformably to the upper end of the container sideWall 10 and embodies an internal screw thread 21 for connection to theexternal screw thread 11. \Vhen the screw cap 8 is in place the top wall19 thereof serves to clamp the outwardly extending flanges 14 on theupper end of the side walls 13 of the member 6 against the subjacentportions of the upper edge of the container side wall 10.

In addition to the parts heretofore mentioned, the unit comprises a pairof elastic bands 22 and these serve releasably to hold a stack ofpad-like applicators 23 on the top wall 19 of the screw cap 8. The bands22 are preferably formed of rubber. They are spaced laterally apart andhave certain portions thereof cemented to the top wall of the screw cap.The applicators 23 are formed of felt, gauze or absorbent paper and arearranged in a vertical series. They are elongated and have the endportions thereof surrounded by the elastic bands 22. It is contemplatedthat when the user of the unit is desirous of using an applicator he orshe will grasp the central portion of the uppermost applicator and raiseit upwards so as to free its end portions from the bands.

When it is desired to use the unit the screw cap 8 is removed from theupper end of the container side wall 10 by turning it in the properdirection. After removal of the screw cap the uppermost applicator 23 isremoved from the hand held stack, as previously pointed out, and may beused to transfer liquid from the horizontal part of the invertedL-shaped wick 7 to the desired place. In connection with use, theapplicator is pressed against the horizontal part 15 of the wick inorder that it will absorb or acquire liquid from such part. After theliquid has been absorbed or acquired the applicator is in condition foruse. The depending vertical part 16 of the work serves. as hcreinbeforepointed out, constantly to maintain the horizontal part 15 in a fullysaturated condition.

The herein described liquid retaining and dispensing unit is essentiallysimple in design and, hence, may be manufactured at a low or reasonablecost. It elfectively and ctliciently fulfills its intended purpose andis characterized by the fact that the assembly or U-shaped member 6 andinverted L-shaped wick 7 functions in a most satisfactory manner andeliminates any possibility of displacement of the wick from its normalor operative position.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details setforth since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claimwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

As a new article of manufacture, a liquid retaining and dispensing unitcomprising an open top cup-shaped container adapted to have the interiorthereof partially filled with the liquid to be dispensed and consistingof a bottom wall and a continuous side wall connected to, and extendingupwards from, the bottom wall and having an external screw thread at itsupper end, an open-sided U-shaped member disposed in the upper portionof the container, embodying a fiat elongated bottom wall provided with asingle longitudinal slot in one of its side margins and having straightside edges in spaced relation with the adjacent portions of thecontainer side wall in order to form side openings whereby the liquid tobe dispensed may be poured into or out of the container, and alsoembodying a pair of side walls of arcuate cross section connected to,and extending upwards from, the ends of thelast mentioned bottom walland provided at their upper-ends with outwardly extending integralarcuate flanges resting on diametrically opposite portions of the upperedgeof the container side wall, an inverted L-shaped wick consisting ofa horizontal part extending transversely across the bottom wall of themember and embodying means for permanently securing it in place and asingle depending vertical part connected to the other end of thehorizontal part, extending downwards through the slot and adapted bycapillary action to supply liquid from the container interior tosaidhorizontal part, and a screw cap embodying a top wall and adepending annular skirt with an internal screw thread for connection tosaid external screw thread and adapted when in place to clamp theflanges of the member side walls against said diametrically oppositeportions of the upper edge of the container side wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS254,840 Perry Mar. 14, 1882 2,554,302 Keskitalo May 22, 1951

